Is Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire?

Chicago Fire fans were dealt a big blow today as a source close to NBC confirmed that the series' star and central character, Taylor Kinney, who portrays Kelly Severide, has stepped away from the series for a while.

This means that the new season of the longest-running One Chicago show may see a lot less of Severide shortly after some interesting developments in the character's story.

According to multiple sources, Severide will not be a big part of the season due to Taylor Kinney's unprecedented leave of absence due to some undisclosed personal matters.

There has been no information as to why or what happened to the actor. His absence will reportedly require some script reworking. The crew was also allegedly informed of Kinney's decision on Friday.

The One Chicago lineup, including Chicago Fire, has seen multiple changes and exits in recent times, including the departure of Derek Haas, the co-creator of the long-running show.

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Chicago Fire season 11: What will Kinney's absence mean for the One Chicago universe?

Taylor Kinney has been a part of the show for a very long time, with his chemistry with co-star Miranda Rae Mayo, who portrays Stella Kidd, a driving factor in the recent seasons of Chicago Fire.

Previously, Jesse Spencer led the story but exited the show in 2021, after appearing in over 200 episodes. He also made a sweet cameo at Kelly and Stella's wedding in the previous season.

Kinney had since then taken over as the main character and central figure. Jesse Spencer's exit was one of the many things that shook the foundation of the long-running One Chicago universe.

Kinney's exit would mean that there have to be many reworks in the script and something else that would drive the story forward. This could mean that one of the other characters will gain greater importance in the upcoming weeks or that a new arc could be introduced to compensate for the sudden change of plans.

Hopefully, the show can work around this setback.

This year will see some more changes as co-creator Derek Haas, who has worked as a showrunner along with Dick Wolf for all eleven seasons of Chicago Fire has confirmed that he will leave Wolf Entertainment following the conclusion of the ongoing season. Haas told Variety in a statement earlier:

"Although I am leaving Wolf Entertainment next year to focus on creating new shows, I’m entirely committed to delivering amazing episodes of ‘Chicago Fire’ and ‘FBI: International’ through the end of the current seasons,...I learned everything I know about storytelling, pace, characters, production values, and hiring the best cast, crews, and staffs from Dick Wolf and Peter Jankowski, and as hard as it is to leave a place you love and have called home for over a decade, including incredible support from Universal Television, NBC and CBS, I look forward to building my own brand in entertainment."

Alongside Chicago Fire, its sister shows have also suffered heavy losses in this department over the past year. Chicago Fire lost Jesse Lee Soffer, one of its most important characters, while Chicago Med lost Guy Lockard, Sarah Rafferty, and Asjha Cooper this season.

All the One Chicago shows are available on Peacock.